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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

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THE    EMBEZZLER 


THE 
EMBEZZLER 


By 


EMILE    ZOLA 


THE  WARREN  PRESS 
New  York 


Copyright  1911,  by 
The  Warren     Press 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


IT  was  nine  o'clock.  The  little  town  of 
Vauchamp  had  retired  for  the  night, 
silent  and  black,  beneath  an  icy  Novem- 
ber rain.  In  Des  Recollets  Street,  one  of 
the  narrowest  and  most  deserted  streets  of 
the  Saint-Jean  quarter,  a  light  shone  in  a 
window  of  an  old  house,  from  the  broken 
gutters  of  which  torrents  of  water  gushed. 
It  was  Madame  Burle  who  was  sitting  be- 
fore a  scant  wood  fire,  while  her  grandson, 
Charles,  studied  his  lessons  by  the  pale  light 
of  the  lamp. 


539201 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


The  apartment,  rented  for  sixty  francs  a 
year,  was  composed  of  four  enormous  rooms 
that  it  was  impossible  to  heat.  Madame 
Burle  slept  in  the  largest  room ;  her  son,  the 
captain-treasurer,  had  taken  the  room  over- 
looking the  street/  near  the  dining-room; 
and  little  Charles,  in  his  small  iron  bed, 
was  lost  in  the  depths  of  an  immense  draw- 
ing-room with  mildewed  hangings,  which 
was  not  used.  The  few  articles  of  furniture 
belonging  to  Captain  Burle  and  his  mother, 
massive  mahogany  of  the  Empire  period, 
that  the  frequent  moving  from  one  barrack 
to  another  had  indented  and  robbed  of  their 
copper  trimmings,  were  dwarfed  beneath 
the  high  ceilings,  from  which  seemed  to  fall 
a  fine  shadowy  dust.  The  tiled  floor,  painted 
red,  cold  and  hard,  froze  one's  feet;  and, 
in  front  of  the  chairs,  there  was  nothing  but 
small  squares  of  worn-out  carpet  betokening 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


a  shivering  poverty  in  this  desert  through 
which  every  wind  whistled  by  way  of  the  dis- 
jointed doors  and  windows. 

Near  the  fireplace,  Madame  sat  in  the 
depths  of  her  yellow  velvet  armchair,  watch- 
ing the  smoking  remnant  of  a  log  with  the 
fixed  gaze  of  old  people  who  live  their  lives 
over  within  themselves.  She  remained  in 
this  position  days  at  a  time,  with  her  tall 
figure  and  her  long  serious  face,  the  lips  of 
which  never  relaxed  into  a  smile.  Widow  of 
a  colonel  who  died  on  the  eve  of  his  becom- 
ing a  general,  mother  of  a  captain  whom 
she  had  accompanied  even  in  his  campaigns, 
she  preserved  a  military  stiffness  and  she 
had  formed  ideas  of  duty,  honor,  and  pat- 
riotism that  held  her  rigid,  as  if  withered 
beneath  the  severity  of  discipline.  When  her 
son  became  a  widower,  after  five  years  of 
marriage,  she  had  naturally  undertaken  the 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


bringing  up  of  Charles  with  the  strictness 
of  a  sergeant  charged  with  the  instruction 
of  recruits.  She  watched  over  the  child, 
not  tolerating  a  caprice  nor  an  irregularity, 
forcing  him  to  sit  up  till  midnight,  and  sit- 
ting up  herself,  if  his  tasks  were  not  finished. 
Charles,  of  a  delicate  temperament,  grew  up 
very  pale  under  that  unswerving  discipline, 
his  face  lighted  by  beautiful  eyes,  too  large 
and  too  bright. 

In  her  long  silences,  Madame  turned  over 
and  over  but  one  idea, — her  son  had  betrayed 
her  hopes.  That  sufficed  to  occupy  her 
thoughts,  causing  her  to  relive  her  life  from 
the  birth  of  her  little  one,  whom  she  had 
seen  attaining  the  highest  grades  in  the 
midst  of  a  tumult  of  glory,  to  this  narrow 
existence  in  barracks,  these  sad  and  monot- 
onous days  that  fall  to  the  post  of  captain- 
treasurer  beyond  which  he  would  never  rise 

8 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


and  in  which  he  was  becoming  heavy  and 
dull.  But  the  beginning  of  his  career  had 
filled  her  with  pride;  for  an  instant,  she 
could  have  believed  her  dream  realized. 
Burle  had  hardly  left  St.  Cyr  when  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  battle  of  Solferino 
by  capturing,  with  a  handful  of  men,  a  bat- 
tery of  the  enemy's.  He  was  decorated ;  the 
papers  spoke  of  his  heroism ;  he  was  known 
as  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers  in  the  army. 
And,  slowly,  the  hero  grew  fat,  succumbed  to 
his  flesh,  happy,  slack,  and  cowardly.  In 
1870,  he  was  only  captain.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  in  the  first  engagement.  He  re- 
turned from  Germany  furious,  swearing  that 
they  should  not  send  him  to  war  again.  As 
he  could  not  quit  the  army,  ignorant  of  any 
trade,  he  succeeded  in  securing  the  post  of 
captain- treasurer,  a  niche  in  which,  he  said, 
(hey  would  at  least  allow  him  a  peaceful 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


death.  That  day,  Madame  Burle  had  ex- 
perienced a  terrible  anguish.  It  was  finish- 
ed,— and  she  had  never  since  relaxed  from 
her  rigid  attitude. 

The  wind  rushed  through  the  street,  a 
wave  of  rain  dashed  against  the  windows. 
The  old  woman  raised  her  eyes  from  the 
smouldering  vine-roots  to  assure  herself  that 
Charles  had  not  fallen  asleep  over  his  Latin 
translation.  That  twelve-year-old  child  had 
renewed  a  supreme  hope  to  which  was  linked 
her  stubborn  desire  for  glory.  At  first,  she 
had  hated  him  with  all  the  hate  she  felt  for 
his  mother,  a  little  lace-maker,  pretty  and 
delicate,  that  the  captain,  mad  with  desire 
and  not  being  able  to  make  her  his  mistress, 
had  married. 

Then,  the  mother  dead  and  the  father  wal- 
lowing in  his  vices,  Madame  Burle  had  re- 
newed her  dreaming  over  this  poor  sickly 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


being  that  she  was  bringing  up  with  diffi- 
culty. She  wanted  him  strong;  he  should 
be  the  hero  that  Burle  refused  to  be;  and, 
in  her  severe  coldness,  she  anxiously 
watched  him  grow,  feeling  of  his  limbs,  im- 
pressing courage  upon  his  mind.  Little  by 
little,  blinded  by  her  passion,  she  believed 
that  at  last  she  had  the  man  of  her  family. 
The  child,  of  a  tender  and  dreamy  nature, 
had  a  physical  horror  of  military  career; 
but,  as  his  grandmother  inspired  him  with 
terror,  and  as  he  was  very  gentle  and  obed- 
ient, he  repeated  what  she  said,  appearing 
resigned  to  becoming  a  soldier  some  day. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Madame  Burle  noticed 
that  the  translation  was  not  getting  on. 
Charles,  lulled  by  the  noise  of  the  storm, 
drowsed,  pen  in  hand  and  his  eyes  open. 
She  rapped  with  her  stiff  fingers  upon  the 
edge  of  the  table;  he  started  and  opened  his 


THE    EMBEZZLER. 


dictionary,  turning  the  leaves  feverishly. 
Still  silent,  the  old  woman  poked  the  black- 
ened roots  in  an  attempt  to  relight  the  fire, 
but  without  success. 

In  the  past  when  she  still  believed  in 
her  son,  she  had  despoiled  herself, — he  had 
squandered  her  little  income  in  the  vices 
that  she  dared  not  probe.  Even  now,  he 
was  emptying  the  house, — everything  was 
going  to  the  street.  Within,  there  was  pov- 
erty, bare  rooms,  cold  viands.  She  never 
spoke  of  these  things  to  him,  for,  with  her 
respect  for  discipline,  he  remained  the  mas- 
ter of  the  house.  Only,  at  times,  she  was 
seized  with  a  shudder  at  the  thought  that 
Burle  might  commit  some  folly  that  would 
prevent  Charles  from  entering  the  army. 

She  rose  to  fetch  a  dried  vine  branch 
from  the  kitchen,  when  a  terrific  gust  shook 
the  doors,  tore  off  a  shutter,  and  drove  the 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


water  from  the  broken  gutters  in  a  torrent 
against  the  windows.  And  in  the  midst  of 
this  tumult,  the  door-bell  rang.  Who  could 
be  calling  at  such  an  hour  and  in  such 
weather?  Burle  never  came  in,  when  he  did 
come  home,  until  after  midnight.  She  open- 
ed the  door.  An  officer  appeared,  soaked, 
bursting  with  curses. 

"Sacred    name    of    God!      What    dog's 
weather !" 

It  was  Major  Laguitte,  a  brave  old  sol- 
dier who  had  served  under  Colonel  Burle, 
in  Madame  Burle's  better  days.  Starting 
out  as  the  child  of  the  troop,  he  had  attained 
through  his  bravery  rather  than  his  intelli- 
gence, the  grade  of  chief  of  battalion,  when 
an  infirmity,  a  contraction  of  the  muscles 
of  his  thigh,  the  result  of  a  wound,  had 
forced  him  to  accept  the  post  of  major.  He 
limped  slightly;  but  it  would  not  do  to  tell 
13 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


him  so  to  his  face,  for  he  refused  to  admit 
it. 

"It  is  you,  Major?"  exclaimed  Madame 
Burle,  more  and  more  astonished. 

"Yes,  by  God!"  growled  Laguitte.  "And 
I  must  care  a  lot  for  you  to  run  the  streets 
in  that  damned  rain!  Why,  you  wouldn't 
put  a  parson  out  in  such  weather!" 

He  shook  himself;  pools  formed  on  the 
floor  from  his  boots.  Then,  he  looked  around 
him. 

"I  must  absolutely  see  Burle.  Is  he  al- 
ready in  bed, — that  loafer?" 

"No;  he  hasn't  come  in  yet,"  said  the  old 
woman  in  her  hard  voice. 

The  major  flew  into  a  rage. 

"What!  Not  come  in!  Then  they  were 
making  a  fool  of  me,  at  his  cafe, — at  Mela- 
me's,  you  understand.  I  went  there,  and  a 
maid  laughed  in  my  face,  telling  me  that  the 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


captain  had  gone  to  bed.  Ah!  the  devil! 
I  felt  that, — I  wanted  to  pull  her  ears !" 

He  calmed  down;  he  stamped  about  the 
room,  undecided,  upset.  Madame  Burle 
watched  him  steadily. 

"You  wish  to  speak  to  the  captain  him- 
self?" she  asked  finally. 

"Yes." 

"Can't  I  give  him  your  message?" 

"No." 

She  did  not  insist.  But  she  remained 
standing,  always  watching  the  major  who 
could  not  seem  to  decide  to  go.  At  last,  his 
anger  surged  up  again. 

"Well,  so  much  the  worse!  As  I  have 
come  here,  you  might  as  well  know  about 
it.     It  will  be  all  the  better,  perhaps." 

And  he  seated  himself  before  the  grate 
stretching  out  his  muddy  boots  as  if  a  bright 
fire  were  burning.  Madame  Burle  was  about 
is 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


to  return  to  her  armchair  when  she  perceived 
that  Charles,  vanquished  by  fatigue,  had 
let  his  head  drop  between  the  open  pages  of 
his  book.  The  major's  entrance  had  roused 
him ;  then,  seeing  that  no  attention  was  paid 
to  him,  he  succumbed  to  sleep.  His  grand- 
mother started  towards  him  to  rap  his  deli- 
cate hands  that  seemed  to  bleach  in  the 
lamplight,  when  Laguitte  stopped  her. 

"No,  no;  let  that  poor  little  man  sleep. 
It  isn't  so  amusing;  he  needn't  hear  it." 

The  old  woman  reseated  herself.  A  si- 
lence ensued.    The  two  looked  at  each  other. 

"Well !  It  has  happened !"  said  the  major 
at  last.  "That  scoundrel,  Burle,  has  done 
it." 

Madame  Burle  did  not  start.  She  paled, 
but  she  sat  more  erect  than  ever  in  her 
armchair.    The  major  continued, — 

16 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"I  had  my  suspicions.  I  had  promised 
myself  to  speak  to  you  some  day.  Burle  was 
spending  too  much;  besides  he  had  an  idi- 
otic expression  that  I  did  not  like.  But  I 
never  could  have  believed  ....  Ah!  Good 
God!  A  man  must  be  a  fool  to  do  such 
things!" 

And  he  struck  his  knee  fiercely  with  his 
fist,  strangled  with  indignation.  The  old 
woman  had  to  ask  him  a  straight  question. 

"He  has  stolen?" 

"You  cannot  imagine  the  thing.  I  never 
verified  anything.  I  approved  his  accounts ; 
I  gave  my  signature.  Only,  when  there  was 
to  be  an  inspection,  on  account  of  the  colo- 
nel, who  is  a  maniac,  I  said  to  him,  'Old 
man,  look  over  your  cash-box, — I  am  re- 
sponsible for  it.'  .  .  .  And  I  was  quite  easy. 
However,  within  the  last  month,  as  he  looked 
so  queer  and  I  heard  nasty  stories,  I  looked 
more  carefully  into  his  books.  Everything 
seemed  to  be  regular,  very  well  kept.  ..." 

»7 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


He  stopped,  carried  away  by  such  a  gust  of 
fury  that  he  had  to  relieve  himself  on  the 
spot. 

"Name  of  God !  Name  of  God !  It  is  not 
his  crookedness  that  angers  me, — it  is  the 
disgusting  way  he  has  acted  toward  me.  He 
has  made  a  goat  of  me, — do  you  hear, 
Madame  Burle?  Damn  it!  Does  he  take 
me  for  an  old  fool?" 

"Then,  he  has  stolen?"  again  asked  Mad- 
ame Burle. 

"This  evening,"  resumed  the  major,  some- 
what quieted,  "I  was  leaving  the  table  when 
Gagneux  came  up.  You  know  Gagneux, — 
the  butcher  at  the  corner  of  the  Herbes 
Square.  Another  dirty  rascal,  who  has  the 
contract  for  the  meat  and  foists  on  our  men 
all  the  old  dead  cows  of  the  county.  Well ! 
I  received  him  like  a  dog,  when  he  unfolded 
the  secret.     A  nice  mess!     It  seems  that 

18 


THE    EMBEZZLER. 


Burle  paid  him  only  in  instalments.  Such 
underhand  work!  Such  a  confusion  of  fig- 
ures that  the  devil  himself  couldn't  find  his 
way!  Briefly,  Burle  owes  him  two  thou- 
sand francs,  and  the  butcher  threatens  to 
tell  the  colonel  everything,  if  he  isn't  paid. 
The  worst  of  it  is  that  that  pig,  Burle,  to 
mix  me  up  in  it,  gave  me  a  false  receipt 
every  week  that  he  boldly  signed  with  Gag- 
neux's  name.  And  this  trick  he  played  on 
me, — me,  his  old  friend !    Good  God !" 

The  major  rose,  threw  his  arms  and 
clenched  fists  toward  the  ceiling,  and  fell 
back  again  into  his  chair.  Madame  Burle 
repeated  again, — 

"He  has  stolen.    It  must  be  that." 

Then,  without  a  word  of  judgment  or  con- 
demnation of  her  son,  she  added  simply, — 

"Two  thousand  francs.  But  we  haven't 
got  them.  There  are  perhai>s  thirty  francs 
here." 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"I  suspected  it,'-  said  Lagiiitte.  "And  do 
you  know  where  all  that  goes?  To  Milanie, 
a  damned  jade  who  has  made  an  idiot  of 
Burle.  .  .  .Oh!  the  women!  I  said  they 
would  break  him !  I  don't  know  what  that 
animal  is  made  of!  He  is  only  five  years 
younger  than  I,  and  he  is  still  burning  with 
passion !    What  a  beastly  temperament !" 

There  was  another  silence.  Outside,  the 
rain  increased,  and  one  could  hear,  in  the 
little  sleeping  town,  the  noise  of  chimney- 
pots and  tiles  that  the  storm  dashed  to  the 
paving-stones. 

"Well,"  said  the  major,  rising,  "it  doesn't 
arrange  matters  to  stay  here.  I  have  in- 
formed you,  so  I  am  going." 

"What  is  to  be  done?  To  whom  can  one 
turn?"  murmured  the  old  woman. 

"Don't  despair.  We  shall  see.  If  I  only 
had  those  two  thousand  francs!  But  you 
know  that  I  am  not  rich." 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


He  stopped,  embarassed.  He,  a  bachelor, 
drank  little,  but  lost  at  cards  what  cognac 
and  absinthe  saved  him.  With  that,  he  was 
very  honest. 

"Never  mind !"  he  continued  on  the  thresh- 
old. "I  am  going  just  the  same  to  make  a 
row  at  that  wench's.  I  will  move  heaven 
and  earth.  Burle,  the  son  of  Burle,  con- 
victed of  theft!  That  would  mean  the  end 
of  the  world!  I  would  rather  blow  up  the 
town.  And,  for  God's  sake,  don't  take  it  to 
heart!    It  is  still  more  vexing  for  me!" 

He  shook  hands  roughly,  and  disappeared 
in  the  shadows  of  the  stairway  while  she 
lighted  him  with  the  lamp.  When  she  set 
the  lamp  upon  the  table,  in  the  silence  and 
the  bareness  of  the  vast  room,  she  stood  a 
moment  motionless  before  Charles  who  still 
slept,  with  his  face  between  the  leaves  of 
his  dictionary.     It  was  the  head  of  a  girl, 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


with  its  long  fair  hair.  She  gave  a  sharp 
rap  on  his  hand,  saying : 

"Charles,  your  translation." 

The  child  awoke,  bewildered,  shivering, 
and  began  rapidly  turning  the  leaves  of  the 
dictionary.  At  this  moment,  Major  Laguitte 
who  slammed  the  street  door,  received  upon 
his  head  such  a  torrent  of  water  that  he 
could  be  heard  swearing  above  the  roar  of 
the  tempest.  Then,  in  the  midst  of  the  down- 
pour, there  was  no  other  sound  than  the 
scratching  of  Charles'  pen  on  the  paper. 
Madame  Burle  had  resumed  her  place  be- 
fore the  fireplace,  her  eyes  upon  the  cind- 
ers, with  her  old  fixed  idea  and  her  cus- 
tomary attitude. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


II. 

The  Cafe  de  Paris,  run  by  the  widow  Mad- 
ame Melanie  Cartier,  was  on  Palace  Square, 
a  large  irregular  space  planted  with  dusty 
elms.  At  Vauchamp,  one  asked, — "Are  you 
coming  to  Melanie's?" 

At  the  end  of  the  first  room,  which  was 
quite  large,  there  was  another, — the  "divan," 
very  narrow  and  furnished  with  leather-cov- 
ered settees  along  the  walls  and  four  marble- 
topped  tables  in  the  corners.  It  was  there 
that  Melanie,  deserting  her  counter  where 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


she  had  installed  her  maid,  Phrasine,  passed 
the  evenings  with  several  habitues,  the  inti- 
mate customers,  those  that  were  called  in  the 
town  "Those  gentlemen  of  the  divan."  That 
was  a  mark  of  distinction. 

Madame  Cartier  was  left  a  widow  at 
twenty-five  years.  Her  husband,  a  wheel- 
wright, who  had  startled  Vauchamp  by 
taking  the  Cafe  de  Paris  on  the  death  of  an 
uncle,  had  returned  with  her,  one  fine  morn- 
ing, from  Montpellier,  where  he  went  every 
six  months  for  his  liquors.  He  furnished 
his  house.  He  had  doubtless  chosen  the  sort 
of  woman  he  wanted,  engaging  and  good  for 
his  business.  No  one  ever  knew  where  he 
had  picked  her  up;  he  did  not  marry  her 
until  he  had  tried  her  behind  the  counter  for 
six  months.  Opinions  in  Vauchamp  were 
divided — some  considered  her  superb,  others 
called  her  a  gendarme.  She  was  a  large  wo- 
24 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


man,  with  large  features  and  coarse  hair 
that  fell  over  her  eyebrows.  But  no  one 
denied  her  power  to  twist  the  men  around 
her  finger.  She  had  fine  eyes  that  she  made 
use  of  to  gaze  fixedly  at  those  gentlemen  of 
the  divan,  and  they  paled  and  became  su- 
pine. 

Carder's  death  was  singular.  There  was 
a  rumor  that  there  had  been  a  quarrel  be- 
tween husband  and  wife,  and  that  a  gather- 
ing had  formed  as  a  result  of  a  kick  in  the 
abdomen.  Besides,  Melanie  found  herself 
much  embarassed,  for  the  cafe  was  not  pros- 
pering. The  wheelwright  had  dissipated  his 
uncle's  money  in  drinking  absinthe  and  play- 
ing billiards.  It  was  thought  that  she  would 
be  obliged  to  sell.  But  that  life  pleased  her. 
She  needed  only  a  few  regular  customers, — 
the  big  room  could  remain  empty.  She  had 
the  divan  papered  in  white  and  gold  and  the 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


settees  re-upholstered  in  leather.  At  first, 
she  kept  company  there  with  a  druggist; 
then  came  a  manufacturer  of  vermicelli,  a 
lawyer,  a  retired  magistrate.  And  thus  it 
came  about  that  the  cafe  remained  open,  al- 
though the  waiter  did  not  serve  twenty 
drinks  a  day.  The  authorities  tolerated  the 
establishment,  because  the  proprieties  were 
always  observed,  and  many  respectable  peo- 
ple would  have  found  themselves  compro- 
mised. 

Of  an  evening,  in  the  large  room,  four  or 
five  small  landlords  of  the  quarters  had  a 
game  of  dominoes.  As  the  waiter  became 
superfluous,  Melanie  discharged  him.  It 
was  Phrasine  who  lighted  the  one  gas  jet 
in  the  corner  for  the  small  landlords.  Mean- 
while, Melanie  herself  served  the  gentlemen 
of  the  divan,  amiable  without  taking  liber- 
ties, permitting  herself  only  in  hours  of 

s6 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


abandonment  to  lean  upon  a  shoulder  of  one 
of  them,  in  order  to  follow  a  delicate  play 
of  ecarte. 

One  evening,  these  gentlemen,  who  had 
ended  by  tolerating  each  other,  were  dis- 
agreeably surprised  to  find  Captain  Burle 
installed  in  the  divan.  He  had  come  in,  by 
chance,  in  the  morning,  to  drink  a  vermouth, 
and  he  had  talked  with  Melanie.  When  he 
returned  in  the  evening,  Phrasine  immedi- 
ately showed  him  into  the  little  room. 

Two  days  later,  Burle  reigned  without 
having  driven  off  either  the  druggist,  or  the 
vermicelli  manufacturer,  or  the  lawyer,  or 
the  retired  magistrate.  The  captain,  short 
and  broad,  adored  big  women.  So  Melanie, 
with  her  handsome  body,  took  him  by  storm. 
At  the  end  of  two  weeks,  he  had  fallen  into 
the  bewildered  state  of  a  fat  lover  who  is 
gnawed   by   desire   without  growing  thin. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


His  little  eyes,  buried  in  the  middle  of  his 
puffy  face,  followed  the  widow  about  with 
the  expression  of  a  beaten  dog's.  He  for- 
got himself  in  continual  ecstasy  before  that 
mannish  face  with  its  wiry  hair.  For  fear 
of  her  displeasure,  he  tolerated  those  gentle- 
men of  the  divan  and  gave  her  his  pay  to 
the  last  cent.  It  was  a  sergeant  who  pro- 
nounced the  word  on  the  situation, — "Burle 
has  found  his  hole,  and  he  will  stay  in  it." 
A  buried  man! 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  when  Major 
Laguitte  again  opened  furiously  the  door  of 
the  Cafe  de  Paris.  The  major,  soaked  to 
the  skin,  leaving  a  stream  behind  him,  went 
straight  up  to  the  bar,  where  Phrasine  was 
reading  a  novel. 

"Hussy!"  he  cried.  "So  you  make  sport 
of  soldiers?    You  deserve  .   .   ." 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


And  he  raised  his  hand,  describing  a 
blow  that  would  have  felled  an  ox.  The 
little  maid  drew  back,  frightened,  while  the 
bourgeois,  amazed,  turned  their  heads  with- 
out understanding.  But  the  major  wasted 
no  time,  he  pushed  open  the  door  to  the 
divan,  and  threw  himself  between  Burle  and 
Melanie  at  the  very  moment  that  the  latter 
was  giving  sips  of  grog  to  the  captain  much 
as  one  feeds  a  canary.  Only  the  magistrate 
and  the  druggist  had  ventured  out  that  even- 
ing and  they  had  gone  home  early,  being  de- 
pressed. Melanie,  being  in  need  of  three 
hundred  francs  for  the  next  day,  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  occasion  to  practice  her  coax- 
ing ways. 

"Come!  the  darling  of  his  mother!  Open 
thy  beak!  It  is  good, — isn't  it,  little  pig?" 

The  captain,  very  red  and  blear-eyed,  sip- 
ped the  spoon  with  an  expression  of  pro- 
found enjoyment. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"For  God's  sake!"  exclaimed  the  major. 
"Are  you  being  taken  care  of  by  females 
these  days?" 

Burle,  pushing  aside  the  grog,  had  shud- 
dered. With  an  irritated  movement,  Me- 
lanie  had  come  forward  as  if  to  protect  him 
with  her  large  body.  But  Laguitte  looked 
her  in  the  eye  with  a  tranquil  and  resolute 
air  that  threatened  women  well  know  means 
a  blow. 

"Leave  us,"  he  said  simply. 

She  hesitated  a  second,  then,  white  with 
rage,  she  rejoined  Phrasine. 

When  they  were  at  last  alone,  Major 
Laquitte  planted  himself  in  front  of  Cap- 
tain Burle ;  then,  folding  his  arms,  he  leaned 
forward  and  shouted  in  the  other's  face, — 

"You  dirty  hound!" 

The  captain,  upset,  tried  to  retort,  but 
he  hadn't  time. 


THE    EMBEZZLER. 


"Shut  up !  You  have  played  a  dirty  trick 
on  a  friend !  You  have  stuck  me  with  false 
receipts  that  could  send  us  both  to  the  gal- 
leys!" 

Burle,  fallen  back  in  his  chair,  was  livid. 
A  feverish  tremor  shook  his  limbs.  The 
major  continued,  walking  around  him  and 
striking  the  tables  with  his  fist. 

"You  have  stolen  like  a  quill-driver,  and 
for  that  big  camel !  If  your  had  stolen  for 
your  mother,  there  would  be  some  honor  in 
it  But,  good  God !  they  starve  at  home  and 
you  bring  your  money  to  this  joint!  Are 
you  crazy,  at  your  age  to  take  up  with  such 
a  gendarme?  Now,  don't  lie!  I  saw  you 
a  moment  ago  at  your  dirty  play!" 

Burle  was  silent,  staring,  with  an  im- 
becile expression. 

"And  not  a  radish !"  resumed  the  major. 
"Aha!  can  you  see  yourself  between  two 
gendarmes,  you  dirty  scoundrel?" 

31 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


He  calmed  down,  and  taking  the  captain 
by  the  wrist,  raised  him  up. 

"Come  along !  We've  got  to  do  something 
right  away,  for  I  can't  sleep  with  that  on 
my  stomach.    I  have  an  idea." 

In  the  large  room,  Melanie  and  her  maid, 
Phrasine,  were  talking  earnestly.  When 
she  saw  the  two  men,  Melanie  came  for- 
ward, saying  to  Burle  in  a  cooing  voice, — 

"Why,  captain,  are  you  going  already?" 

"Yes,  he  is  going,"  responded  Laguitte, 
brutally.  "And  I  am  pretty  sure  he'll  never 
again  put  his  foot  into  this  filthy  hole !" 

The  little  maid,  frightened,  plucked  her 
mistress's  dress.  She  had  the  misfortune 
to  murmur  the  word  "drunkard."  On  the 
instant,  the  major  let  fly  the  blow  that  had 
been  burning  his  hand.  The  two  women 
dodged  and  he  only  grazed  Phrasine's  head, 
flattening  her  cap  and  breaking  a  comb. 

3* 


THE    EMBEZZLER. 


The  little  landlords  were  very  indignant. 
Lagnitte  exclaimed, — 

"For  God's  sake!  let's  get  out,  or  I'll 
knock  down  every  one  in  the  place!" 

Outside,  in  order  to  cross  the  square,  they 
waded  through  water  above  their  ankles. 
The  rain  streamed  down  their  faces.  While 
the  captain  proceeded  in  silence,  the  major 
again  heaped  reproaches  upon  him.  A  nice 
time,  wasn't  it,  to  be  running  about  the 
streets?  If  he  hadn't  committed  that  crimi- 
nal folly,  the  two  of  them  might  have  been 
in  their  warm  beds.  Then,  he  spoke  of 
Gagneux.  A  scoundrel  whose  rotten  meat 
had  twice  given  the  whole  regiment  a  colic. 
In  a  week,  his  contract  would  expire,  and 
he  would  need  the  devil's  help  to  get  it  again. 

"It  depends  on  me, — I  choose  whom  I 
want,"  growled  the  major.  "I  would  rather 
cut  off  my  arm  than  help  that  poisoner  to 
make  another  cent !" 

M 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


He  slipped,  fell  into  a  puddle  up  to  his 
knees,  and,  strangled  with  curses,  he  add- 
ed,— 

"You  know,  I  am  going  now  to  see  him. 
I'll  go  up,  you  wait  at  the  door,  I  want  to 
find  out  what  that  toad  has  in  his  belly,  and 
if  he  would  dare  go  to  the  colonel  to-mor- 
row, as  he  threatens.  A  butcher !  Good  God ! 
To  compromise  one's  self  with  a  butcher! 
Ah !  you  are  not  proud, — you !" 

They  reached  Herbes  Square.  Gagneux's 
house  was  quite  dark,  but  Laguitte  knocked 
violently,  and,  at  last  the  door  was  opened. 
Left  alone  in  the  thick  night,  Captain  Burle 
did  not  think  of  seeking  shelter.  He  re- 
mained at  the  corner  of  the  market-place, 
standing  in  the  rain,  his  head  filled  with  a 
buzzing  that  prevented  his  thinking.  When 
the  major  came  out  at  the  end  of  an  hour, 
it  seemed  to  the  captain  that  he  had  only 
just  gone  in. 

34 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


Laguitte  said  nothing.  Burle  did  not  dare 
question  him.  Then,  thej  began  to  follow 
the  obscure  streets,  where  the  water  flowed 
in  torrents.  As  they  again  passed  the  Cafe 
de  Paris,  the  major  tapped  the  captain's 
shoulder  and  said, — 

If  you  ever  go  into  that  joint  again  ..." 

"Don't  be  afraid!"  answered  the  captain. 

And  he  held  out  his  hand,  but  Laguitte 
continued, — 

"No;  I'll  accompany  you  to  your  door. 
Then,  I'll  be  sure  of  you  for  this  night  any- 
way." 

When  they  turned  into  Des  Recollets 
Street,  they  slowed  up.  Then,  in  front  of 
the  door,  after  taking  out  his  key,  the  cap- 
tain felt  he  must  know  what  to  expect. 

"Well?"  he  asked. 

"Well !"  answered  the  major,  roughly.  "I 
am  a  low  crook  like  you !  Yes,  I  have  done 
si 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


a  dirty  job !  May  the  devil  take  you !  Our 
poor  soldiers  will  have  to  eat  rotten  meat  for 
another  three  months!" 

And  he  explained  that  Gagneux,  that  dis- 
gusting Gagneux,  had  forced  him  into  a 
bargain.  Gagneux  would  not  report  to  the 
colonel, — he  would  even  make  a  present  of 
the  two  thousand  francs  by  giving  genuine 
receipts  for  the  false  ones.  But,  in  return, 
he  demanded  of  the  major  the  meat  contract, 
and  the  bargain  was  struck. 

"God!  What  nasty  work,  you  animal,  for 
two  thousand  francs!" 

Burle,  strangled  with  emotion,  had  seized 
his  old  friend's  hand.  He  could  only  sputter 
his  thanks.  The  detestable  bargain  that  the 
major  was  forced  to  make  in  order  to  save 
him  affected  him  to  tears. 

"It  is  the  first  time,"  said  the  major,  "and 
it  had  to  be  done.    Only,  don't  begin  again, 
or  I'll  be  damned  if  I  do  it  a  second  time!" 
36 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


The  captain  embraced  him.  When  he 
went  in,  the  major  remained  at  the  door  to 
make  sure  that  he  had  gone  to  bed.  Then, 
as  midnight  sounded  and  the  rain  still  beat 
down,  he  went  painfully  homeward.  The 
thought  of  his  men  rent  his  heart,  and,  in  a 
changed  voice,  full  of  tender  pity,  he  ex- 
claimed,— 

"The  poor  devils !  They  have  to  eat  dead 
cow, — all  for  two  thousand  francs!" 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


III. 

The  regiment  was  in  a  state  of  stupefac- 
tion. Burle  had  broken  with  Melanie.  At 
the  end  of  a  week,  the  thing  was  proved  to 
be  undeniable.  The  captain  no  longer  put 
foot  within  the  Cafe  de  Paris.  It  was  said 
that  the  druggist  had  slipped  into  his  warm 
place,  to  the  sorrow  of  the  retired  magis- 
trate. 

And,  more  incredible  still,  Captain  Burle 

lived  shut  up  in  Des  Recollets  Street.    He 

was  reformed  to  the  extent  of  passing  his 

evenings  by  the  fireside,  listening  to  little 

38 


TEE   EMBEZZLER. 


Charles'  lessons.  His  mother,  who  had 
not  breathed  a  word  of  his  transactions  with 
Gagnenx,  maintained  her  severe  erectness; 
but  her  glances  said  that  she  believed  him 
cured. 

Two  weeks  later,  the  major  came  one  even- 
ing to  invite  himself  to  dinner.  He  felt  a 
certain  embarassment  in  meeting  Burle 
again.  Yet,  as  the  captain  had  pulled  up, 
he  wished  to  clasp  his  hand  and  break  bread 
with  him. 

Burle  was  in  his  room  when  Laguitte  ar- 
rived. Madame  Burle  received  him.  After 
saying  that  he  had  coma  to  dinner,  he  low- 
ered his  voice. 

"Well!"  he  asked. 

"Everything  is  going  better." 

"Nothing  suspicious?" 

"Nothing.  ...  He  goes  to  bed  at  nine 
o'clock,  is  never  out,  and  looks  happy." 

39 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"Ah,  that's  fine !"  said  the  major.  "I  knew 
he  only  needed  a  shaking-up.  He  still  has 
a  heart,  the  animal !" 

When  Burle  appeared,  he  gripped  his 
hands.  And,  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  be- 
fore dinner,  they  talked  together  frankly, 
lauding  the  domestic  life.  The  captain  de- 
clared that  he  would  not  give  his  home  for 
a  kingdom.  The  major  approved,  the  while 
examining  him.  Certainly,  his  good  beha- 
vior did  not  take  off  the  fat.  He  was  still 
bloated,  with  puffed  eyes  and  thick  lips.  He 
drowsed  in  his  chair,  repeating, — 

"Family  life, — there  is  nothing  like  it !" 

"It's  all  very  well,"  said  the  major,  anx- 
ious at  seeing  him  so  broken,  "but  exaggera- 
tion is  a  bad  thing.  You  should  take  exer- 
cise.   Go  once  in  a  while  to  the  cafe." 

"To  the  cafe?  What  for?  I  have  every- 
thing I  need  right  here." 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


Charles  gathered  up  his  books,  and  the 
major  was  surprised  to  see  a  maid  come  in 
to  set  the  table. 

"So  you  have  a  maid?"  he  said  to  Madame 
Burle. 

"I  had  to,"  she  answered,  sighing.  "My 
legs  are  giving  out  and  the  house  is  not 
properly  taken  care  of.  Fortunately,  old 
Cabrol  let  me  have  his  daughter.  You  know 
old  Cabrol,  the  old  man  who  sweeps  the 
market.  He  didn't  know  what  to  do  with 
Rose.     I  am  teaching  her  to  cook." 

"How  old  is  she?"  asked  the  major. 

"Not  yet  seventeen.  She  is  stupid  and 
dirty.  But  I  give  her  only  ten  francs  a 
month  and  she  eats  nothing  but  soup." 

When  Rose  came  in  again  with  a  pile  of 
plates,  Laguitte,  who  was  not  much  interest- 
ed in  girls,  followed  her  with  his  eves,  as 
tonished  to  find  one  so  ugly.    She  was  small, 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


very  dark,  slightly  hunchbacked,  with  a 
monkey  face  in  which  little  green  eyes 
gleamed.  Her  nose  was  flat  and  her  mouth 
large  and  wide.  Her  lips  being  broad  and 
her  arms  long,  she  gave  the  impression  of 
being  very  strong. 

"Good  God!  What  a  face!"  said  La- 
guitte,  amused,  when  the  maid  went  out. 

"Bah !"  murmured  Burle,  carelessly.  "She 
is  very  willing.  She  is  good  enough  for 
washing  dishes." 

The  dinner  was  charming.  The  men  told 
Charles  stories  of  his  college.  Madame 
Burle,  to  show  him  off,  asked  him  several 
times,  "Don't  you  want  to  be  a  soldier?" 
And  a  smile  passed  over  his  white  lips,  as 
he  answered  with  the  cringing  obedience  of 
a  dog,  "Yes,  grandma." 

Rose,  heavy-heeled,  served  without  speak- 
ing, until   the  end  of  the  dinner.     Then, 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


standing  beside  the  captain,  who  seemed  ab- 
sorbed, she  said  in  a  hoarse  voice, — 

"Will  monsieur  have  some  cheese?" 

"What?"  said  Burle,  starting.  Ah!  yes; 
the  cheese.    Hold  the  plate  tight !" 

He  cut  a  piece,  while  the  little  maid  be- 
side him  looked  at  him  with  her  narrow  eyes. 
Laguitte  laughed.  Rose  amused  him  enor- 
mously. He  lowered  his  voice,  as  he  mur- 
mured in  the  captain's  ear, — 

"Do  you  know,  she  fascinates  me.  I  didn't 
suppose  such  a  nose  and  mouth  existed. 
Send  her  to  the  colonel  some  day, — she  will 
divert  him." 

Her  ugliness  inspired  a  paternal  attitude 
on  the  major's  part. 

"Well,  my  girl!  I  want  some  cheese, 
too." 

She  offered  him  the  plate;  and  he,  the 
knife  planted  in  the  cheese,  forgot  what  he 

43 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


was  doing  in  examining  her.  Rose,  very 
serious,  submitted  to  his  scrutiny  and  waited 
patiently  until  the  gentleman  should  get 
through  laughing  at  her. 

She  cleared  the  table  and  disappeared. 
Burle  dropped  off  into  a  nap  immediately, 
while  Madame  Burle  and  the  major  talked. 
Charles  went  on  with  his  lessons.  At  nine 
o'clock,  Burle  awoke  yawning  and  an- 
nounced that  he  was  going  to  bed.  He  beg- 
ged pardon,  but  his  eyes  closed  in  spite  of 
him.  When  the  major  took  his  leave,  a  half- 
hour  later,  Madame  Burle  vainly  sought 
Rose  to  light  him  downstairs.  She  must 
have  gone  to  bed;  she  was  a  regular  hen, 
that  girl,  sleeping  like  a  log  for  twelve 
hours. 

"Don't  bother,"  said  the  major.  "My  legs 
are  no  better  than  yours,  but  by  holding  on 
to  the  banisters,  I  shall  not  break  any  bones. 

44 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


Well,  dear  lady,  I  am  so  happy!  I  have 
studied  Burle  and  I  am  convinced  that  he  is 
not  up  to  any  tricks.  It  certainly  was  time 
for  him  to  leave  petticoats  alone." 

In  that  conversation,  what  most  pleased 
the  major  was  that  he  no  longer  had  to  veri- 
fy the  captain's  accounts.  Nothing  wearied 
him  like  looking  over  a  pile  of  papers.  Now 
that  Burle  was  straight,  the  major  could 
smoke  his  pipe  and  affix  his  signature  with 
his  eyes  closed.  However,  he  always  kept 
one  eye  primed.  The  receipts  were  genuine, 
the  totals  balanced ;  there  was  no  irregular- 
ity. But,  one  morning,  not  as  the  result 
of  suspicion  but  merely  because  he  was  re- 
lighting his  pipe,  his  eye  lingered  over  an 
addition.  He  discovered  a  discrepancy  of 
thirteen  francs.  lie  did  not  mention  it  to 
Burle, — he  promused  himself  to  be  on  his 
guard.    The  following  week,  there  was  an- 

45 


TEE   EMBEZZLER. 


other  error, — nineteen  francs.  So,  seized 
with  anxiety,  he  shut  himself  up  with  the 
books.  He  spent  an  abominable  morning 
going  over  the  accounts,  sweating,  swearing, 
his  head  bursting  with  figures.  And,  at  each 
addition,  he  discovered  a  theft  of  a  few 
francs.  It  was  miserable, — ten  francs,  eight 
francs,  eleven  francs.  Toward  the  end,  there 
were  as  few  as  four  and  three  francs,  and  on 
one  bill,  Burle  had  substracted  only  a  franc 
and  a  half. 

"Good  God !"  exclaimed  the  major.  "This 
is  a  dirtier  piece  of  work  than  the  other! 
The  false  receipts  of  Gagneux  were  bold; 
while,  this  time,  he  is  as  despicable  as  a 
cook  that  steals  a  couple  of  cents  from  her 
marketing  money!" 

The  shameful  insignificance  of  the  sums 
filled  him  with  indignation,  and  he  was  fur- 
ious to  think  he  had  been  duped  a  second 
4« 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


time  by  methods  so  stupid  and  so  simple. 
He  added  up  the  stolen  amounts,  which 
came  to  a  total  of  five  hundred  and  forty- 
five  francs.  The  inspection  was  approach- 
ing; it  was  only  necessary  for  that  maniac 
of  a  colonel  to  go  over  an  addition, — and  the 
whole  thing  would  be  exposed.  This  time, 
Burle  was  lost.  That  idea  calmed  the  major. 
He  did  not  swear ;  he  remained  as  if  frozen, 
with  the  image  of  Madame  Burle,  erect  and 
despairing,  before  him. 

"Come,  come!"  he  murmured.  "First  of 
all,  I  must  see  clearly  into  the  affairs  of 
that  scoundrel.  Afterwards,  it  will  be  time 
enough  to  act." 

He  went  to  Burle's  office.  From  the  pave- 
ment opposite,  he  saw  a  skirt  disappearing 
through  the  doorway.  Thinking  he  was  on 
the  scent,  he  slipped  quietly  up  and  listened. 
It  was  Melanie.    She  complained  of  the  gen- 

47 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


tlemen  of  the  divan ;  she  spoke  of  a  bill  that 
she  had  not  the  money  to  pay;  the  sheriff 
was  at  the  cafe;  everything  would  be  sold 
off.  Then,  as  the  captain  answered  coldly 
that  he  had  n»t  a  cent,  she  burst  into  tears. 
Then  she  tried  her  old  seductions,  but  the 
dull  voice  of  the  captain  answered, — "Im- 
possible, impossible!"  At  the  end  of  an 
hour,  when  Melanie  went  away,  she  was  fur- 
ious. 

The  major,  astonished  at  the  turn  of  af- 
fairs, waited  an  instant  before  entering  the 
office.  He  found  the  captain  alone  and  very 
calm. 

"Wasn't  it  that  carcass  of  a  Melanie  that 
went  out  as  I  came  in?"  demanded  the 
major. 

Burle  shrugged  his  shoulders,  murmur- 
ing— 

"Yes;  she  came  to  try  and  get  two  hun- 

48 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


dred  francs  out  of  me.  .  .  .  But,  not  ten 
francs, — not  ten  sous!" 

"Well,"  said  the  other,  probing  him,  "I 
was  told  that  you  still  go  to  see  her." 

"I !  Not  on  your  life !  I  have  had  enough 
of  those  camels !" 

Laguitte  went  away  very  perplexed.  To 
what  had  the  captain  applied  those  five 
hundred  and  forty-five  francs?  Was  it  pos- 
sible that  the  scoundrel  had  turned  from 
women  to  drinking  and  gambling?  He 
promised  himself  to  surprise  Burle  that 
evening  at  home.  Perhaps  by  making  him 
talk  and  questioning  his  mother,  he  would 
solve  the  mystery. 

But,  that  afternoon,  he  suffered  cruelly 
from  his  leg.  It  had  been  bothering  him  for 
some  time,  and  he  had  been  obliged  to  re- 
sign himself  to  the  use  of  a  cane.  Thai  cane 
was  his  despair, — he  said  he  was  now  an 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


invalid.  However,  with  a  heroic  effort,  he 
got  out  of  his  armchair,  and  leaning  heavily 
upon  the  cane,  he  dragged  himself  to  the 
house  in  Des  Recollets  Street.  Nine  o'clock 
struck  when  he  reached  it.  The  street  door 
was  ajar,  so  he  went  up,  stopping  on  the 
third  landing  to  catch  his  breath.  The 
sound  of  voices  on  the  floor  above  surprised 
him,  and,  out  of  curiosity,  he  went  up.  At 
the  end  of  a  hall  to  the  left,  a  ray  of  light 
came  through  an  open  door;  but,  at  the 
sound  of  his  creaking  boots,  the  door  was 
closed,  and  he  found  himself  in  total  dark- 
ness. 

"This  is  idiotic!"  he  said.  "It  is  some 
cook  going  to  bed." 

However,  he  advanced  as  softly  as  possible 
and  placed  his  ear  against  the  door.  There 
were  two  voices.  He  was  spellbound.  In 
the  room  were  that  pig  of  a  Burle  and  that 
monstrosity,  Rose ! 

50 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"You  promised  me  three  francs,''  said  the 
latter  rudely.     Give  me  three  francs!" 

"My  darling,  I  will  bring  them  to  you 
to-morrow,"  said  the  captain  in  a  pleading 
voice.  "I  couldn't  to-day.  You  know  that 
I  always  keep  my  promises." 

"No,  give  me  three  francs,  or  you  can  go 
downstairs  again." 

She  must  have  been  already  undressed  and 
seated  upon  her  cot,  for  it  creaked  as  she 
moved.    The  captain  strode  back  and  forth. 

"Now,  be  nice." 

"Will  you  leave  me  alone!"  cried  Rose. 
"I'll  call  out!  I'll  tell  the  old  lady  every- 
thing!    Give  me  three  francs!" 

Burle  got  angry;  he  cried.  Then,  to  melt 
her,  he  took  from  his  pocket  a  jar  of  jam 
that  he  had  smuggled  out  of  his  mother's 
cupboard.  Rose  accepted  it  and  set  to  work 
on  it  forthwith,  using  the  handle  of  a  fork 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


that  was  lying  on  a  chest  of  drawers.  It 
was  very  good;  but,  when  the  captain 
thought  her  conquered,  she  again  repulsed 
him. 

"What  is  your  jam  to  me?  It  is  three 
francs  that  I  want !" 

"You  are  very  unkind  to  me,"  said  the 
captain."  And  I  have  been  so  good  to  you. 
I  gave  you  a  dress  and  earrings  and  a  watch. 
You  don't  even  wear  my  presents." 

"Papa  takes  care  of  my  things." 

"And  all  the  money  you  have  got  out  of 
me?" 

"Papa  invests  it  for  me." 

There  was  a  silence.    Rose  was  reflecting. 

"Listen.  If  you  promise  to  bring  me  six 
francs  to-morrow  evening,  I  am  willing. 
Get  down  on  your  knees  and  swear  to  bring 
me  six  francs!" 

S3 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


Major  Laguitte,  shaking  with  rage,  left 
the  door  and  went  to  lean  against  the  ban- 
isters. His  legs  were  trembling,  and  he 
brandished  his  cane  like  a  sabre  in  the  shad- 
ow of  the  stairs.  He  understood  now  why 
that  hog  stayed  at  home,  and  went  to  bed  at 
nine  o'clock.  A  nice  conversion!  And 
with  a  dirty  wench  that  the  lowest  among 
his  troopers  would  not  have  touched ! 

He  went  down  and  rang  Madame  Burle's 
bell.  At  the  end  of  five  long  minutes,  the 
old  lady  opened  the  door. 

"'I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said,  "but  I 
thought  that  stupid  Rose  was  still  there. 
...  I  shall  have  to  go  and  drag  her  out  of 
bed." 

The  major  prevented  her  going. 

"And  Burle?"  he  asked. 

"Oh !  he  is  in  bed  since  nine  o'clock.  Will 
you  knock  on  his  door?" 

S3 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"No,  no;  I  only  wanted  to  wish  you  good 
evening." 

As  they  passed  the  captain's  door,  Mad- 
ame Burle  was  surprised  to  see  the  key  on 
the  outside. 

"Go  in,"  she  said.  "It  is  bad  for  him  to 
sleep  so  much.    It  makes  him  heavy." 

And,  before  he  could  stop  her,  she  opened 
the  door  and  stood  petrified  upon  finding 
the  room  unoccupied.  Laguitte  turned  crim- 
son and  looked  so  foolish  that  she  under- 
stood suddenly,  enlightened  by  a  thousand 
little  happenings. 

"You  knew  it,  you  knew  it,"  she  stam- 
mered. "Why  didn't  you  warn  me?  My 
God !  In  my  house,  and  near  his  own  son,-— 
with  that  dishwasher,  that  monster!  .  .  . 
He  has  stolen  again, — I  feel  it." 

She  stood  erect,  white  and  rigid.  Then 
she  added  in  a  hard  voice, — 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"I  wish  he  were  dead !" 

Laguitte  took  her  two  hands  in  his  and 
pressed  them  sympathetically.  Then  he  fled, 
for  he  had  a  lump  rising  in  his  throat.  He 
conld  have  cried.  But,  by  God !  This  time 
he  was  decided. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


IV. 

The  general  inspection  was  to  take  place 
at  the  end  of  the  month.  The  major  had 
ten  days  before  him.  The  next  day,  he 
dragged  himself  to  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  where 
he  ordered  a  beer.  Melanie  turned  pale  and 
it  was  with  the  fear  of  receiving  a  blow  that 
Phrasine  served  him.  He  had  been  there 
an  hour  when  he  saw  two  officers  passing, — 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  battalion, 
Morandot,  and  Captain  Doucet.  He  called 
to  them. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"Come  in  and  have  a  beer." 

When  they  had  been  served,  Morandot 
asked  the  major, — 

"Do  you  come  here  now?" 

"Yes;  the  beer  is  good." 

Captain  Doucet  closed  one  eye  with  a 
knowing  look. 

"Do  you  belong  to  the  divan,  major?" 

Laguitte  laughed  without  answering. 
Then  they  chaffed  him  about  Melanie.  Tam- 
ing to  the  bar  and  assuming  a  gracious  air, 
he  called  out, — 

"Madame,  some  more  beers." 

Melanie  was  so  surprised  that  she  got  up 
and  served  the  beer  herself.  The  major  de- 
tained her;  he  gave  her  little  pats  on  her 
hands  that  rested  upon  the  back  of  his  chair. 
And  she,  accustomed  to  caresses,  returned 
his  gallantries.  Doucet  and  Morandot 
looked  at  each  other.    All  of  a  sudden,  La- 

57 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


guitte,  who  had  been  watching  the  square, 
exclaimed, — 

"Hello!  Burle!" 

"Yes ;  it  is  his  hour,"  said  Phrasine,  draw- 
ing near.  "The  captain  passes  his  after- 
noons here  after  leaving  the  office." 

The  major,  in  spite  of  his  bad  leg,  stood 
up.    He  drew  out  a  chair. 

"Come  on,  Burle !    Have  a  beer !" 

The  captain,  bewildered,  came  on  mechan- 
ically. He  stopped  on  the  threshold  hesi- 
tating. 

"A  beer,"  ordered  the  major. 

Then,  turning, 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you?  Come  on 
in !    What  are  you  afraid  of?" 

When  the  captain  was  seated,  there  was 

a  moment's  embarassment.    Melanie  brought 

the  beer  with  trembling  hands,  beset  by  the 

constant  fear  of  a  scene  that  would  close 

58 


THE    EMBEZZLER. 


her  establishment.  The  gallantries  of  the 
major  were  disquieting.  She  tried  to  slip 
away  when  he  invited  her  to  take  something 
with  the  gentlemen.  But  the  major  had 
already  ordered  Phrasine  to  bring  a  glass  of 
anisette,  and  Melanie  was  forced  to  seat  her- 
self between  him  and  Captain  Burle.  The 
major  said  in  a  harsh  voice, — 

"I  insist  upon  respect  being  shown  the 
ladies.    To  the  health  of  Madame !" 

Burle,  his  eyes  on  his  glass,  smiled  with 
embarassment.  The  two  other  officers, 
shocked  at  the  idea  of  drinking  thus  with 
the  proprietress,  rose  to  go.  Fortunately, 
the  room  was  empty. 

"What!  you  won't  drink  with  Madame?" 
said  the  major  rudely  to  Burle.  "At  least, 
be  polite." 

And,  as  Doucet  and  Morandot  again  made 
as  if  to  go, — 

$9 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"Wait  a  moment, — we'll  go  together.  .  .  . 
It  is  that  animal  there  who  has  never  known 
how  to  behave !" 

The  two  officers  remained  standing, 
transfixed  by  the  sudden  anger  of  the 
major.  Melanie  tried  to  restore  peace  by 
resting  her  hands  on  the  arms  of  the  two 
men.    But  Laguitte  burst  out  again. 

"No,  leave  me  alone!  Why  didn't  he 
drink?  I  won't  allow  you  to  be  insulted! 
Besides,  I  have  had  enough  of  that  hog 
there!" 

Burle,  very  pale  at  this  insult,  rose  and 
said  to  Borandot, — 

"What  is  the  matter  with  him?  He  called 
me  in  apparently  just  to  make  a  scene.  Is 
he  drunk?" 

"For  God's  sake!"  growled  the  major. 

Rising  in  his  turn,  trembling  on  his  legs, 
he  aimed  a  blow  at  the  captain  with  all  his 
60 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


force.  Melanie  dodged  just  in  time  to  avoid 
receiving  part  of  it  on  the  ear.  There  was 
a  terrible  row.  Phrasine  screamed  behind 
the  bar  as  if  she  were  being  beaten.  Mean- 
while, Doucet  and  Morandot  had  seized  the 
captain  to  prevent  his  jumping  at  the  ma- 
jor's throat.  Outside,  they  calmed  him  down 
by  laying  all  the  blame  on  Laguitte.  When 
they  had  sent  Burle  on  his  way,  they  re- 
entered the  cafe,  where  Laguitte,  very  much 
affected  with  tears  under  the  eyelids,  pre- 
tended to  be  very  calm. 

"Listen,  major,"  said  the  battalion  officer, 
"this  is  very  bad.  The  captain  hasn't  your 
grade,  so  we  cannot  authorize  him  to  fight 
with  you." 

"Oh !  we  shall  see,"  said  the  major. 

The  next  day,  the  colonel  sent  for  the 
major  and  the  captain.     He  lectured  them 
severely,  reproaching  them  with  having  dis- 
honored the  army  in  a  disreputable  place. 
61 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


What  would  they  do,  as  he  could  not  au- 
thorize them  to  fight?  That  was  the  ques- 
tion that  agitated  the  regiment.  Excuses 
seemed  inadequate,  on  account  of  the  blow; 
but  as  Laguitte,  on  account  of  his  bad  leg, 
could  not  stand  up  well,  it  was  thought  that 
a  reconciliation  would  take  place,  if  the 
colonel  demanded  it. 

"Now,  come,"  said  the  colonel,  "will  you 
take  me  for  arbiter?" 

"Pardon,  colonel,"  interrupted  the  major. 
"I  have  come  to  tender  my  resignation.  Here 
it  is.  That  settles  everything.  Have  the 
goodness  to  set  the  day  for  the  duel." 

Burle  looked  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"This  is  very  serious,"  said  the  colonel. 
"You  have  only  two  years  more  before  re- 
tiring." 

But  again  Laguitte  interrupted  him,  say- 
ing in  an  obstinate  voice, — 
62 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


"That  concerns  me  alone." 

"Oh!  perfectly.  .  .  .  Well!  I  shall  send 
in  your  resignation,  and,  on  the  day  of  its 
acceptance,  I  shall  fix  the  day  for  your  meet- 
ing." 

This  turn  amazed  the  regiment.  The  talk 
ran  on  Melanie  and  her  fine  figure.  All  the 
officers  dreamed  of  her  now,  fired  by  the 
idea  that  she  must  be  decidedly  desirable  to 
set  by  the  ears  two  old  tough  hides.  The 
battalion  officer,  meeting  Laguitte,  did  not 
conceal  his  anxiety.  If  he  should  not  be 
killed  how  would  he  live?  For  he  had  no 
fortune,  and  it  was  a  question  if  he  would 
have  enough  to  eat  with  his  pension  money 
cut  in  half.  When  the  other  questioned  him 
at  to  his  animosity  toward  Burle,  he  replied 
with  a  vague  gesture, — 

"FTe  annoyed  me, — so  much  the  worse." 

Each  morning,  at  the  canteen,  at  the  of- 
63 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


fleers'  table,  the  first  words  were, — 
"Has  the  resignation  arrived?" 
The  duel  was  looked  forward  to, — every- 
one discussed  the  probable  issue.  The  ma- 
jority believed  that  Laguitte  would  be  run 
through  in  three  seconds.  Others  shook 
their  heads.  Certainly,  Laguitte  had  never 
been  a  prodigy  of  intelligence ;  he  was  even 
cited  for  his  stupidity ;  but  he  was  known  as 
the  best  marksman  in  the  regiment;  and  he 
had  gained  his  epaulettes  by  a  sanguinary 
bravery  that  seemed  without  conscience  of 
danger.  On  the  contrary,  Burle,  an  indif- 
ferent fencer,  passed  for  a  coward.  Well, 
they  would  see.  And  the  emotion  increased, 
for  that  devilish  resignation  was  a  long  time 
coming. 

The  most  anxious,  the  most  upset,  was 
certainly  the  major.    Eight  days  went  by, — 
the  inspection  was  to  take  place  in  two  days. 
64 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


He  trembled  at  the  thought  of  having 
struck  his  old  friend  and  handed  in  his 
resignation  without  smothering  the  scandal. 
If  he  were  killed,  he  would  be  spared  the  dis- 
tress, and  if  he  killed  Burle,  as  he  intended, 
the  affair  would  be  hushed  up  right  away. 
He  would  thus  save  the  honor  of  the  army 
and  little  Charles  could  enter  Saint-Cyr. 
But,  great  God!  Those  clerks  at  the  Min- 
istry would  have  to  hurry  up!  The  major 
could  not  stay  in  one  place.  He  wandered 
to  the  post-office,  watched  the  mails,  ques- 
tioned the  Colonel's  orderly. 

On  the  eve  of  the  inspection,  he  started 
for  the  colonel's,  when  he  halted  on  seeing 
Madame  Burle,  who  was  taking  Charles  to 
college.  He  had  not  seen  her  since.  He 
stood  aside  to  allow  her  to  pass.  Neither 
spoke,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  Charles. 
Madame  Burle,  cold  and  haughty,  brushed 
H 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


by  the  major,  and,  when  she  had  passed,  he 
looked  after  her  with  a  tender  bewilderment. 

"Good  God!  Am  I  a  man  or  not?"  he 
growled,  forcing  back  the  tears. 

When  he  reached  the  colonel's,  a  captain 
who  was  there  said, — 

"Here  it  is.    It  has  just  arrived." 

"Ah !"  he  murmured,  very  pale. 

The  duel  took  place  the  next  morning  in 
the  yard  of  the  barracks,  behind  a  little  wall. 
The  air  was  invigorating,  a  bright  sun  shone. 
They  were  almost  obliged  to  carry  Laguitte. 
One  of  his  witnesses  gave  him  an  arm,  while 
he  leant  heavily  on  his  cane.  Burle,  his 
face  bloated  and  yellow,  gave  the  impression 
of  being  asleep  standing  up.  Not  a  word  was 
exchanged.  Everyone  was  in  a  hurry  to 
have  it  over  with. 

Captain  Doucet  gave  the  word, — 

"Begin,  gentlemen." 

66 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


For  ten  minutes  the  swords  crossed  with 
their  steely  sound.  Then,  the  captain  made 
a  feint.  But  the  major,  finding  his  wrist  of 
other  days,  parried  and,  if  he  had  followed 
with  a  thrust,  Burle  would  have  been  pierced 
through.  The  latter  grew  livid,  feeling  him- 
self at  the  mercy  of  this  man  who  had  spared 
him.  He  understood  now  that  it  was  to  be 
an  execution. 

Meanwhile,  Laguitte,  on  his  bad  legs, 
which  had  become  like  stone,  waited.  The 
two  adversaries  eyed  each  other  fixedly.  In 
the  troubled  eyes  of  Burle  appeared  a  sup- 
plication, a  prayer  for  mercy.  He  knew  why 
he  was  to  die,  and,  like  a  child,  he  swore  to 
be  good.  But  the  eyes  of  the  major  were  im- 
placable. Honor  spoke,  and  he  strangled  his 
tenderness. 

"Let  us  end  it!"  he  ground  out  between 
his  teeth. 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


This  time,  he  attacked.  His  sword  flashed 
to  right  and  left,  and  returned  to  plant  it- 
self in  the  captain's  chest.  He  fell  like  a 
mass,  without  a  cry. 

Laguitte  dropped  his  sword  and  looked  at 
his  poor  old  friend  stretched  on  his  back, 
with  his  big  stomach  in  the  air.  He  re- 
peated, furious  and  broken  with  emotion, — 

"Good  God!  Good  God!" 

They  bore  him  away.  His  legs  were  para- 
lyzed ;  he  could  not  even  use  his  cane. 

Two  months  later,  the  major  was  drag- 
ging himself  along  in  a  deserted  street  by 
Vauchamp,  when  he  again  found  himself 
face  to  face  with  Madame  Burle  and  little 
Charles.  They  were  in  deep  mourning.  He 
tried  to  avoid  them,  but  they  walked  straight 
up  to  him.  Charles  still  had  the  sweet  face 
of  a  frightened  girl.  Madame  Burle's  face 
was  still  severe,  even  harder  and  more  livid. 

68 


THE   EMBEZZLER. 


As  Laguitte  turned  under  an  archway  to 
leave  them  the  entire  pavement,  she  stopped 
suddenly  in  front  of  him  and  held  out  her 
hand.  He  hesitated,  then  took  it  and  press- 
ed it;  but  he  trembled  so  that  he  shook  the 
old  lady's  arm.  There  was  a  silence,  a  mute 
exchange  of  glances. 

"Charles,"  finally  said  the  old  lady,  "give 
your  hand  to  the  major." 

The  child  obeyed  without  understanding. 
The  major  was  very  pale.  Feeling  that  he 
should  say  something, — he  could  think  of 
nothing  but,  "You  are  still  thinking  of  send- 
ing him  to  Saint-Cyr?" 

"Without  a  doubt,  when  he  is  old  enough," 
answered  Madame  Burle. 

The  following  week  ,Charles  succumbed 
to  typhoid  fever.  One  evening,  his  grand- 
mother had  read  to  him  the  combat  of  the 
"Vengeur,"  to  help  him  get  well.  He  became 
delirious  that  night,     lie  died  from  fear. 

<9 


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